The Governance App from Directory of Social Change (DSC) is a new, free and easy way for your Board of trustees to review and improve their governance, together. Through the app you can: • Gather responses from your whole board • Get a performance score out of ten in seven different areas • Highlight where board members have different views on performance • Have targeted discussions about what’s going well and where to focus on improving They’ve combined the Charity Governance Code with DSC’s successful face-to-face model for improving governance, and created an online tool that any Board can use to review their governance – and turn it into collective action and improvement. So if you’re looking to review your governance but don’t quite know where to start, can’t afford the time or expense of a consultant or facilitator and want an easy way to involve your whole board in the process, register now!

All charities need an affordable stream of talent in their organisations. Charityworks could be the way that you as an organisation does this. I graduated as a Fellow of the scheme is 17/18 and wanted to share my experience to see if any BANES organisations would be interested in hosting a trainee in 2021/22 or in the future. Why I loved the programme: For me as a graduate, it gave me the opportunity to use my newly learnt skills to help an amazing cause. With CharityWorks offering a training programme around the placement to ensure my skills were what the charity needed. It is also an opportunity to have an affordable trainee in your organisation to bring new ideas and a new perspective. The official pitch: Over the past 13 years, CharityWorks has worked with Christian Aid, Barnardos, LGBT Foundation, National Housing Federation, One Manchester, Accent Housing, Action on Hearing Loss, Who Cares? Scotland and a network of over 200 organisations to become the main talent pipeline for the UK non-profit sector. Every year, Charity Works places hundreds of young leaders from all backgrounds into charities, social enterprises and voluntary organisations of all shapes and sizes to start a career dedicated to social change. Their rigorous selection process and wrap-around fast-track learning and leadership programme mean that placements have an incredibly high retention rate of over 95% and offer a highly effective and affordable way to recruit and retain great, diverse, talent. In addition, in a really crucial time for the sector and our society as a whole, they are also particularly proud that their graduate pool is 40% BAME this year as they work to collectively power up and accelerate the development of the next generation of diverse talent in the sector. Right now, they are now in the final stage of their assessment centre selection process, which means they can begin matching placements and offering you potential candidates in just a few weeks time. It would therefore be fantastic to set up a time to speak with Charityworks about any questions you might have about the programme, and understand if you have any vacancies or positions available that might well suit the programme? Feel free to drop them an email: Craig Pemblington - craig@charity-works.co.uk Find out more: www.charity-works.co.uk/host-a-trainee-with-us

People from across the UK can now apply to take part in a Community Camp delivered by educational and environmental charity The Eden Project in partnership with National Lottery. The Community Camp brings people who care about the community together virtually, to share, connect and learn from each other’s recent experiences and to build confidence to take small steps to do good things where they live. Community Camp is two days of joy, learning, inspiration and sharing with the aim that participants will grow confidence, friendship and support that remains long after the camp has ended. It is a completely free experience, thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund and will take place on the 1st & 2nd October 2021. This Camp is tailored to help inspire and support anyone new to community activity - at the start of the journey. Eden Project Communities Northern Ireland Manager, Grainne McCloskey said: “Research carried out in the late Spring revealed that nearly half of people (45%) would like to do more for their local community but many struggle to get over the first hurdle of getting started. What-ever your life circumstances, if you would like to do something where you live, Eden Project Communities can help you." Perhaps you have volunteers that with a little more confidence, could do more of what they love? Perhaps you know a group who enjoyed a taste of being more involved in their community over the recent months, and could benefit from a fun learning experience to boost their connections and ambitions? Who is Community Camp For & What to expect? Community Camp is an immersive learning experience, offering a mix of practical activities, workshop sessions and networking opportunities for people from across the UK. Their Community Camps currently take place online and for their next Camp in October, they'll be piloting a new concise delivery model, designed for newcomers who want to get started. For more information on who this camp is suitable for and what to expect, look here- https://www.edenprojectcommunities.com/who-is-camp-for-and-what-to-expect The application form is here - https://www.edenprojectcommunities.com/community-camp-application Applications are now open so please help them to share this fantastic experience as far and wide as possible with anyone who you think might be interested - notice boards, emails, newsletters, word of mouth - it all helps! A little extra info: Community Camps are specifically for the benefit of voluntary community members, and unfortunately, they're unable to allocate funded places to people who are applying as part of a paid community role, or those who have attended either a camp at Eden or online before.

Below is the August 2021 update from Timebank Plus, who are a friendly organisation which offers people in Bath and surrounding areas opportunities for volunteering and involvement in their local community through an exchange of time and services. We hope the summer is bringing you much-needed opportunities to meet up with family and friends, perhaps get away for a holiday break and generally enjoy getting out and about. It was wonderful to see so many of you at our Summer Social and to know that despite over a year of Covid-enforced isolation, we can once again get together and make things happen in the local community. We are still in the planning stages and want to find out what is now most needed, so please do get in touch with your ideas. We have a suggestions board at the office where you can write your wish list, or if you prefer you can fill in our online survey here. PLEASE NOTE: The Time Bank office in Twerton High St is currently open 2 days a week on Tuesdays 10 – 6 and Wednesdays 10 – 2. You are welcome to drop in during these times or, to make sure we are available, ring us first on 01225 442813. Borrow It The Borrow It Library of Things is open on Tuesdays between 10am & 6pm and Wednesdays from 10am to 2pm. We have a wide range of gardening equipment, DIY tools, camping gear, sewing machines, carpet cleaner, kitchen items and more. There is no charge for borrowing items, though donations are always welcome. We also have a wish list of items we are looking for, to add to our collection. Click here for further info and our catalogue of things: http://timebankplus.co.uk/wp/?page_id=586 Lunch Club Our wonderful Lunch Club meets every Wednesday from 12 – 2pm for a delicious two-course meal and activities like quizzes and a raffle. We are delighted that due to the easing of Covid restrictions, the club has now been able to return to its previous venue at Quebec Community Room, Twerton. If you know an older person in the Twerton area who might like to join the club, please let us know. We are also looking for a volunteer to help with washing up on an occasional basis. Feelgood Walks Feelgood Walks are taking place every Tuesday at 12.30pm from the Time Bank office at 86 High Street, Twerton, BA2 1DE. Walking in nature is a great way to enhance your mood and keep fit and healthy. These are short, easy walks of up to an hour, suitable for all ages and levels of fitness. We vary the walks each week to maintain interest – for example they may be along the river, in the park, through the woods or around the City Farm. We can also offer wildflower and tree ID walks if this is of interest. You will be very welcome to join us. We would also love to hear from anyone interested in volunteering to lead or assist with the walks; appropriate training is available. Sustainable Gardening Service The TB+ gardening team is a small, friendly group which helps local people in need of assistance with their gardens. This project takes place on Tuesday mornings from 10am to 12pm. Our emphasis is to encourage wildlife-friendly gardening. Whilst we are happy to help keep gardens neat and well-maintained, we are also mindful of the need to work in harmony with nature and provide habitat for the insects, birds and plant-life on which our future depends. New members are very welcome. Gardening is a great way to keep fit, learn new skills & help others in the local community and the gardening team leader provides expert knowledge and guidance. We would also welcome donations of good quality gardening tools, such as hand tools or an electric mower. Food Growing on the Allotment This is an opportunity to join a small number of other volunteers growing food on our lovely allotment at Bath City Farm. Please get in touch for further details. Southside Food Co-op The Food Co-op provides boxes of fresh, locally grown vegetables every other Wednesday and delivers them to homes in South and West Bath. The growing season is now in full swing and the produce available currently includes freshly picked courgettes, broccoli, fine beans, cucumber, fennel, peas, runner beans, new potatoes, lettuce, spring greens, cauliflower and more. The produce is grown mostly on the edge of Bath near Solsbury Hill. The price, for those people on a lowish income (below £18,000 pa for a single person, £25,000 for a couple or £30,000 for a family), is £4.50 for a small box, £5.50 for a medium box and £7 for a large box. For those who are better off, we charge £6 for a small box, £7 for a medium box and £9 for a large box. All these prices include the cost of delivery, or you can save £1 and collect your order from our office. We use any surplus raised to provide veggies to those in urgent need. Please email timebankplus@gmail.com if you’d like to order a veg box and please provide a phone number for us to contact you. We will need at least 2 days’ notice. Payment needs to be in advance by bank transfer or direct debit. We would also welcome a volunteer to help with packing the veg boxes and a driver to help with deliveries from time to time. Photography Challenge The subject this month for our photography challenge is ‘Freedom’. Please send us your photos by email to timebankplus@gmail.com. Your entries will be uploaded onto an Instagram forum. Community Litter Picks You are invited to join our volunteer Litter Picker on Tuesday afternoons at 2pm to help keep the Twerton area clean and tidy. Contact us for further details. Possible New Groups & Activities We are currently awaiting the result of a funding application for a new Art Group – our previous one was really popular and successful, please let us know if this would be of interest to you. Other suggestions we have received so far include Guitar Group, Fitness in the Park, Cycling and Singing – please tell us what YOU would like. Zoom groups Mondays (monthly) 4.00 – 5.00pm Knit & Natter Zoom Group. Get out your wool and knitting needles or crochet hook, make a cup of tea and sit down for a friendly online session with a small group of others. Expert advice is available if needed. These online sessions will take place once a month for the time being and the next session is on Monday 9th August. Thursdays (weekly) 10.00 – 11.00am Creative Writing Zoom Group. This is a very friendly and supportive group of people who are writing and sharing short pieces of prose or poetry. There is a different topic each week and we have an online forum where members of the group can post up their writings. IT Assistance If you, or others you know, need help with setting up Whatsapp, Zoom or other apps, or with other IT troubleshooting, please let us know and one of our volunteers may be able to help you. We’d also love to hear from anyone with good IT skills who is interested in volunteering to assist others. Keeping in touch If you aren’t already in our Whatsapp group, do join us. It’s such a good way to keep in touch with each other, share information or ask for help. Just email timebankplus@gmail.com with your mobile number and we’ll add you to the group. You can also find us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/timebank.plus/ Volunteering opportunities (summary) We are currently looking for: volunteers to join our Gardening Team; IT support; an occasional washer-up for the Lunch Club; litter pickers; people to help grow food on our allotment; people interested in assisting with our Feelgood Walks; a veg box packer and an occasional driver for our Food Co-op. We are also looking for a Treasurer for our Management Committee. Please get in touch if you can help. Community Wellbeing Hub 0300 247 0050 The Community Wellbeing Hub is a collaborative service involving 3SG, B&NES Council & Virgin Care. It offers a range of support services such as mental health, returning home from hospital, income, housing and benefits advice, food and medication collections, as well as lifestyle services for help with stopping smoking, getting active or losing weight. To contact the Community Wellbeing Hub: Phone: 0300 247 0050 Email: CWHBanes@virgincare.co.uk Website: http://communitywellbeinghub.co.uk Text: 07870 868368 Opening hours: Monday–Friday, 9am until 5pm

A new intensive digital marketing boot camp will be taking place. It is for adults learning new and additional skills to embark on a marketing or business development career. They are looking to connect with both individuals who want to upskill and also local organisations that are looking to employ these skills. The boot camp, supported by the West of England Combined Authority, is run in partnership with Bath Spa University, Bath College, Institute of Coding, TechSPARK and Bath Digital Festival. Students on the course will fast track their Digital Marketing careers into employment and is entirely free for participants. With employer participation core to the learning, the course will teach 80 students essential marketing skills. Over 12 weeks, the learners will be covering: Introduction to marketing Campaign planning Websites and search engine optimisation Social media marketing Analytics for tracking and measurement Enquiries and lead conversion Personal and professional skills Employment support, including techniques for job applications and mock interviews. There will be five boot camps, the first starting August 2021 and the last one ending in March 2022. Abby Frear, Bath Community Lead for TechSPARK, said, “We’ve seen a huge growth in the tech ecosystem in the last few years. So it’s great that this programme will feed more talent into the community. We’re pleased employers are shaping it for what they need from new marketing & business development colleagues.” The digital marketing boot camp needs you! There are plenty of opportunities for employers to build relationships with these students as they progress through the courses and access new talent. Therefore, the course is looking for mentors, panellists, interviewers and project assessors to help students get the core skills they need for a job in Digital Marketing. To register interest as a potential employer – fill out this form. To apply to take part in the boot camps, you need an adult aged 19+ and residing in BANES, Bristol or South Gloucestershire. In addition, you need the desire, commitment and interest for a career in digital marketing. You can apply here.

Managing volunteers requires a more sophisticated system than just a spreadsheet. But with so many options on the market, it can be difficult to sift through the noise and select the right platform for you. You will need to choose a system that meets your needs, aligns with your overall mission, and works within the realms of your resources. Charity Digital recently ran a helpful webinar with Helpforce, to show charities how to pick the volunteer management system that works best for them. They explore how volunteer management systems support charities with their service delivery, how they work in practice, and why charities need one. It also gives a breakdown of 5 prominent systems (see below) on the market, comparing and contrasting. With each option, they explore, among other things, functionality, suitability, optimisation, personalisation, and pricing. Better Impact Assemble Team Kinetic Volgistics Volunteero Slides & Webinar Recording Below Download the slides DataKind UK Superhighways

Come along to an informal lunchtime session to find out how your good cause can benefit from unrestricted funding via eayfundraising. easyfundraising is a free to use fundraising platform which enables good causes to benefit from free donations from leading retailers. In the session, you’ll find out how easy it is to raise funds this way, and you’ll get all the information you need to begin doing so. easyfundraising is already trusted by 170,000 voluntary groups, CICs, social enterprises, schools, grassroots sport clubs, churches and charities. Places at the event are limited, so please register below if you’d like to join us: When: Monday 16th August At: 12.30pm Duration: 30-45 mins Book you place here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZErduGurzMoH9JYDL3iks5yGQUWfTjAcjLB

Association of Mental Health Providers launched the second round of a small grants fund on Monday 26 July. This fund will be used to provide grants of up to £5,000 to support the sustainability of mental health voluntary, community and social enterprise provider organisations, with a turnover of £0-250k. VCSE mental health organisations have a vital role in working in the community providing support to anyone who has a mental health need but continues to face many challenges in delivering services during COVID-19, intensified by the lockdowns and varying tier systems. It is vital that service providers working in the community are supported to enable them to continue delivering essential, life-saving services to people who need it most so it can be effective and sustainable during and after the pandemic. As such, they are looking at funding costs that can positively impact the sustainability of an organisation – specifically those that are supporting the mental health and wellbeing of communities disproportionately impacted by Covid-19; with a focus on organisations that are led by and/or are supporting Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic communities. They will also be considering applications from organisations supporting other disadvantaged groups such as the homeless community, those in contact with the criminal justice system, children and young people, women and girls, victims of domestic violence etc. You can read more here in the documents linked. Organisations will need to complete their online application form by midday on Friday 13 August 2021 Please do share this with your wider networks to ensure the organisations needing support at this time are able to apply.

Charity Connect is a free, six-month training programme to support charities either already on eBay for Charity, or new, to improve their online fundraising and boost unrestricted funding through selling on the eBay marketplace Charity Connect launched in response to the first lockdown last year, when charity shops were forced to close their doors. In 2020 they empowered over 11,000 charities to raise £31 million through eBay for Charity, with £27m raised directly from charities selling on the platform. Starting in September 2021, participating charities will receive tailored training through virtual 1:1 and group support, webinars, dedicated customer service, e-learning materials and promotional support. Applications are now open for their newest cohort of charities. Find out more & apply

The local charity Share and Repair are moving shop and are giving away various items to any organisations or individuals that would find them useful. Please find the list below with what's currently available and you can view all images of the items here. If you're interested in any of these items please contact Share and Repair on 07486 518197 as soon as possible. They need to find homes for all of the items by Tuesday 3rd August. If you can collect the item from 8 Broad Street that would be fantastic. Otherwise, they might be able to deliver them.

Bath Spa University are running new mentoring scheme, MentorMe. They are currently recruiting mentors who are able to offer a small amount of their time and experience to connect with students and talk about their industry/career. If you are interested in joining yourself, please take a look at their web page where you will also find the Expression of Interest Form. They have a wide offering of courses at BSU so if you wanted to check where you knowledge and expertise would be most suited please have a look: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/courses/course-index-a-z/.

A report was recently commissioned by 3SG to scope the short to medium term legacy of the Compassionate Community and the potential of its wider role within the local health and care system. This report was produced by Sadie Hall, who carried out interviews with key stakeholders from across Bath and North East Somerset. An event was also held last week to bring together individuals and organisations that had been involved with the movement since it's launch in February 2020. Below you can find a link to the report as well as a summary of the event that took place last week. If you would like to find out more or get involved in this exciting new chapter of Compassionate Community, then please get in touch: contact@compassioncb.org.uk Compassionate Community Background The Compassionate Community launched in Feb 2020. The vision was that Bath and North East Somerset would become a Compassionate Community, where people are inspired and supported to look after each other. The mission is to provide an infrastructure that encourages and enables individuals, organisations and networks to work together, with the shared aim of supporting people in need and building strong local communities. 3SG enabled the Compassionate Community to come together before the start of the pandemic. Key partners across Bath and North East Somerset signed up to the Compassionate Community Charter in order to begin to explore what changes might be needed to the way that services were delivered in order to make a bigger difference to the whole community. It could not have been predicted that this would lead to the setup of the Compassionate Communities Hub (now the Community Wellbeing Hub) supporting the community by taking over 8000 calls and mobilising over 2500 volunteers. The Compassionate Community and 3SG and its members have become the key partner with Health, Virgin and the Local Authority and provider of COVID response services to those in need. The Report - Creating a vision for the Future 3SG and partners have recognised that the Compassionate Community could be a strong foundation for co-production. This will help all partners to build on existing experience and would be a platform to growing further opportunities in the future both within BaNES and potentially across the BSW STP. 3SG now want to: Better understand the regional picture across BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire health system Explore the potential of the Compassionate Community to support partnership working and scope a future beyond the current COVID response and joint enterprise of the Wellbeing Hub. The project is being carried out to explore the future of a Compassionate Community in Bath and North East Somerset. READ THE REPORT SOS: Vision for Future - Compassionate Community BaNES On Tuesday 20th July (2021), 3SG ran the first Compassionate Community in-person event for over a year. This was an opportunity to shine a light on how the Compassionate Community BaNES responded to the SOS of the COVID Pandemic and how we can all continue to build from this into the future. The international artist, Bruce Munro, kindly provided the perfect setting at Long Knoll, Wiltshire to run the event and be immersed in his stunning new art installation, SOS (see video below). Click here for more info about the inspiration behind SOS. Feedback from attendees: "it was lovely to have time and space to chat and get to know people better in such lovely surroundings with such a great display." "Did I just have a mid-summers dream that it all happened! ...Apart from the fantastic light sculptures it felt quite special to be there and for everyone to be recognised."

With the support of Bath University Students, a team of BANES Charity leaders recently analysed a sample of local charity data looking at the diversity of BANES Trustee Boards. What we did: We analysed 52 charity boards from a sample set of 445 charities (Database downloaded from the Charity Commission register in September 2020) We split the charities by size to ensure we had a representative sample. How we analysed the data: We looked through charity social media and websites to see if they had an EDI or similar policy. We also crudely made assumptions on the genre of their trustees based on given names. What we found: Data can be requested in a word document if people cannot read text off of a graphic. Headline Data 38% have 65%+ Male Trustees Men make up 57% of BANES Trustees 63% No visible EDI commitment 3 all-female trustee boards and 9 all male. Recommendations? We have a few ideas, but we first want to hear from you. If you have any ideas or suggestions or any questions on this, please feel free to comment on the article or email Joshua at volunteers@bath.ac.uk.

Parks and green spaces have been a lifeline during the pandemic and are so important for our wellbeing, for nature and the future of our planet. Your Park Bristol and Bath has created the #LoveYourPark Community that is now open for local groups to apply to with a great idea for their local park. Applications for small grants between £500 and £1000 will be open from midday on Monday 26 July to Sunday 5 September at 8pm. Scroll down to Read the Guidance and Application Form. Webinar Briefing If you would like to join a webinar briefing about the scheme please join over Zoom on Monday 26 July (5-6 pm). The webinar will be repeated on Monday 2 August. Find zoom link on the Your Park site Guidance It is essential you read the guidance before completing the application form. Then please complete the online application form in the section below. READ THE GUIDANCE Application Form They are happy to help with any questions you might have when completing the form. Please contact Judy Gowenlock 07711 049196 or grants@yourpark.org.uk APPLY FROM MON 26 JULY

Quartet Community Foundation is the largest local charity supporting the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) in the West of England. Its primary purpose is to connect people who care with causes that matter. In pursuit of this, Quartet develops close relationships with fundholders, donors and supporters, helping them to match their giving with the causes that mean most to them. We work with organisations whose work spans a wide range of needs and issues, from addressing homelessness and poverty, to provision of food, and advice/support around mental health and wellbeing and domestic abuse. We work across a wide geographical area: Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bath & North East Somerset, North Somerset. As a result of the pandemic, it’s been a year like no other, but Quartet has continued to grow and to deliver its activities on an unprecedented scale. Our Endowment Fund stands at an all-time high, having reached £56.6 million on 31 March 2021. In 2020/21 we distributed a record-breaking £5.2 million in funds, helping hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged people fulfil their potential. We have opportunities in three key areas for people to engage more closely with our activities: helping to shape our future plans, work alongside us as we implement them, and be an ambassador and advocate for the work of Quartet in the wider community. The three areas are as a trustee, a committee member or a grant panel member. To find out more and to submit an Expression of Interest, please look online.

West of England have launched Joy in the Journey Guide- a walking and cycling business support guide for a greener West of England. The “Joy in the Journey” guide is jam packed with helpful advice for businesses to support their employees to walk or cycle to work. Click here to view the guide Encourage your employees to walk or cycle to work By encouraging and supporting your staff to cycle and walk for short journeys, your employees can help improve our air quality, feel energised, arrive at their destination on time and help reduce pressure on public transport. Support your staff to cycle or walk to work to improve their health and well-being and help reduce pressure on public transport Find out what grants and support are locally available to install cycle racks or a shower:GRANTS & FUNDING FOR BUSINESSES Find out more about the cycle to work scheme:BETTER BY BIKE WEBSITE Joy in the Journey Campaign Toolkit Last year the West of England Combined Authority launched its Joy in the Journey campaign promoting the benefts of cycling and walking to boost health and wellbeing as well as helping to build a cleaner, greener future for the West of England. The campaign resources are available for you to use to promote cycling and walking messages and initiatives in your workplace and locally: - Facebook Banners - Twitter Banners - Instagram & LinkedIn Banners & Posters Templates

The Made By Sport #ClubsInCrisis Fund has re-opened until 18th August with potential funding of up to £2,021. This fund is available to help clubs or community groups provide 'sport for development' activities to young people. You can apply for money if you work or volunteer for a sports club or community group that: is based in Somerset, North Somerset, BANES, City of Bristol or South Gloucestershire works with children and young people aged 5–25 (also see 'what sort of things do we want to give money for?' for further guidance in the application page here) intentionally uses sport to develop life skills, improve mental health, reduce crime, develop employability skills, or build stronger communities has an annual turnover of up to £75,000 has been adversely affected by coronavirus, financially or operationally This is a quick way to apply for up to £2,021. Click here to read more and to apply. A recording of the Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership (SASP) and Wesport #ClubsInCrisis Fund information webinar can be viewed below.

As yesterday saw the lifting of almost all remaining restrictions, we thought it more important than ever to give you an update on the local covid-19 situation and advice from B&NES Public Health Team. Please see their latest update (18th July 2021) below: B&NES Public Health Update The number of reported coronavirus cases has nearly tripled over the last fortnight in B&NES. In the last 7 days, there were 749 cases of COVID-19, an increase from 270 cases two weeks prior. Our case rates are now above the England and South West rates. Please see here for the latest case figures in B&NES. All adults aged 18 and over are now eligible for the coronavirus vaccination. You can arrange to have your vaccination in 3 ways: Book online: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/ Book on the phone: 119 Find a walk-in vaccination site: https://bswccg.nhs.uk/news-events/covid-19/covid-19-vaccination If you find it difficult to get to a large vaccination site or have questions about the vaccination, we have a mobile vaccination bus visiting Bath & North East Somerset on various dates and locations. Find more information here: https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/coronavirus-covid-19-latest-information-and-advice/get-your-covid-19-vaccine The Prime Minister has confirmed that most COVID-19 restrictions will end on Monday 19th July. Key changes are: No limits on how many people can meet, but try to meet others outside where possible Face coverings and social distancing are no longer mandatory, though still recommended in crowded public places, e.g. public transport Businesses and large events encouraged to use Covid-certification to reduce spread of the virus All venues currently closed (e.g. nightclubs) can safely reopen with no capacity limits People currently working from home can return to the workplace gradually For more information see https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-coronavirus-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do#england-moves-to-step-4-from-19-july

Who are we and what are we working to achieve ? We are local individuals who have chosen to work together to organise a community centre to work for climate, ecological and social justice, which will promote compassionate citizenship and community resilience, and which will be inclusive, open and welcoming to all. We are part of a national network of groups in towns and cities across the UK looking to set up Climate Emergency Centres (CECs), based on a model which uses a specific type of short term lease and funding mechanism to set up in empty buildings. Getting started …. We held our introductory meeting on Weds 5th May with 22 people attending via zoom, from the University of Bath, Greenpeace, Climate Emergency Watch B&NES, Transition Bath, Green Homes and Bath & West Community Energy to name a few, with thanks to 3SG who helped to promote our inaugural meeting. Phoenix and Ruth from the national CEC network spoke about their experiences in setting up centres and the work of the national network and everyone had an opportunity to share their ideas for a Bath CEC. Just before our first meeting on 5th May the national CEC network was featured in The Guardian giving a welcome boost to our local plans in Bath. Work underway... A smaller group has continued to meet and has drafted a project brief and considered the shared principles and values which will direct how Bath CEC operates both internally as an organisation and externally with users/visitors / partners. These drafts are available via the links below: - Draft project brief - Draft principles & values Please let us know any comments on these draft documents by emailing bathcec@gmail.com Why do we need Bath Climate Emergency Centre? Bath and North East Somerset Council has declared a climate and ecological emergency, and the urgency of climate and ecological breakdown is finally beginning to break through into our everyday news. Its impact is already devastating lives across the world - in the poorest countries most seriously but also amongst our richer neighbours in Canada, the US and Australia. The UK is not exempt and we believe we have a responsibility in the places in which we live to help each other to do as much as we can and as urgently as we can to develop the resilient and compassionate communities which will move us towards a sustainable, fairer and greener future. The need for collaboration and cooperation to find these solutions which align with social justice is urgent. The Green Outreach Hub .. a CEC ‘taster’ ? As well as the work to establish a Bath CEC we have been holding monthly events in the city centre - with the Green Outreach Hub. The Hub aims to raise awareness of the climate and ecological emergency, provide a space for individuals and groups to come together and share practical ideas and solutions to the emergency with each other and with passers-by - from how to make a wildlife pond to campaigning for peat-free compost. The Green Outreach Hub provides a mini taster or a tester for what a full-grown CEC could do! The next Green Outreach Hub is Saturday 21st August in Kingsmead Square between 10am - 3pm. Please pop along and see what is happening at the hub and to have a chat about plans for Bath CEC. The theme is 'fire' and they hope to be joined by Bath and West Community Energy, Bath Anti-Racism Collective. Greenpeace Bath will also be campaigning alongside the Hub to protect our oceans. Follow The Green Outreach Hub on Facebook for more news, and if you would like to make a donation go to: https://www.chuffed.org/project/green-outreach-hub What could a CEC look like in Bath? Whilst the Green Outreach Hub is a monthly pop up in a gazebo, our goal is that Bath CEC will provide a city-centre space with a visible and welcoming ‘shopfront’ where lots of activities can happen; this could include cafe, workshops, meeting space, community events, information & resources, talks, exhibitions and public meetings. It will require volunteer commitment, fundraising, staffing, publicity, communications, administration and governance. What next? Following a very helpful meeting with James Carlin from 3SG our next steps are to: gather together information about other CECs - where they are already up and running or in progress, including which organisational structures they are using (charity or alternative) to develop the business case, setting out in more detail how the model will work, what we need to move ahead, the community benefit from a CEC etc Continue to network and develop links with like-minded individuals and groups in Bath If you can get involved in some way either now, or as plans develop, please email bathcec@gmail.com to be added to the mailing list for further updates and to find out more.

Public advised that that social distancing measures are to remain in place at health and care settings across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire after Monday 19 July. GP practices, hospitals, pharmacies and many other healthcare environments in the region will continue to ask visitors to wear a face covering, as well as to observe the one-metre-plus rule when interacting with others inside. The continuation of social distancing measures will provide an extra layer of protection against Covid-19 to patients, many of whom may have weakened immune systems or a condition that makes them more susceptible to the virus, and health and care colleagues. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced earlier this week that most coronavirus-related restrictions in England could be lifted from Monday 19 July, with people asked to remain cautious and take a pragmatic approach to mask wearing and social distancing. Gill May, Director of Nursing and Quality, said: “Throughout the pandemic, health and social care services have done all they can to make their environments as safe as possible for all patients and staff, and this will continue from Monday 19 July. “From this date, our health and care settings will ask patients to continue to wear a face covering, practice social distancing and use hand sanitiser, while also advising that staff continue to wear PPE. “These measures, that we have all become so used to over the last year, will help to not only protect those who are clinically vulnerable, but also provide reassurance to people who are currently feeling anxious about restrictions being lifted. “Our public have been right behind the NHS throughout the duration of this awful pandemic, and we really hope that the people of Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire will continue to show their support as we move forward.” The success of the Covid-19 vaccination programme has been cited as one of the main reasons why the lifting of social distancing measures at this time has been possible.